Jump Rope for Heart at Southwest Star Concept Schools!

 On February 14, 2013 many of the students at Southwest Star Concept Elementary School in Heron Lake were dressed in red, not only because it was Valentine ’s Day, but also to commemorate Jump Rope for Heart.  Southwest Star Concept Elementary School hosted Jump Rope for Heart activities in cooperation with the American Heart Association.    This was the 15th year the school has participated, and the elementary students raised $2348 to support the American Heart Association’s work to fight heart disease.  In addition to their fundraising, the students participated in jump rope activities.  Kindergarten through fourth grader students got their hearts racing at jump rope stations and in contests, where one student jumped rope nearly 300 times without stopping.  The fifth and sixth grade students worked together in groups for a couple weeks developing jump rope routines.  On Valentine’s Day, those students presented the routines to the student body and community members who came to watch.  Posters that the students made were hung throughout the school to express the importance of heart health and exercise. 

 

The event is a good reminder for children to stay active, keep their hearts pumping vigorously and to have fun with exercise.  Donna Cook, Physical Education Teacher at Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary hosted the event and was proud of the children and their jump rope routines and fundraising efforts.  Cook is leading the efforts at the HLO Elementary to increase physical activity among all children and to develop a comprehensive physical activity program within the district.

WIC Helps Children Play 60 Minutes Every Day!

The Women, Infant and Children (WIC) programs in Cottonwood, Jackson, Faribault, Martin and Watonwan counties are working to reduce obesity among children by increasing physical activity, encouraging better nutrition and reducing screen time. In partnership with SHIP, WIC will be distributing activity kits to promote physical activity. The program is modeled after the evidence based curriculum programs that address childhood obesity- I Am Moving, I Am Learning (IMIL) and Learning about Nutrition through Activity (LANA). WIC nurses will distribute a series of four activity kits on a quarterly basis to families with children ages 3-4 years old. The kits contain resources and tools for children to be more physically active and to help parents find creative, innovative and low-cost ways to be active with their children. Some of the tools and resources included are refrigerator magnets with a list of parks, pools, playgrounds and Community Ed and Recreation (CER) programs in their county, a narrated music CD called “Music Moves Me”, parent brochures to combat common food dilemmas, brochures that offer creative and imaginative play ideas, as well as some tools to engage children in play, such as sidewalk chalk, ribbon wands, beach balls and rhythm sticks.

 

The goal of the initiative is to encourage children to participate in 60 minutes of physical activity every day, and to reduce sedentary behaviors and screen time among 3-4 year olds. WIC hopes that the physical activity will begin to create behavior change among families and children at an early age. By encouraging families with small children to build the foundation for an active lifestyle, children will reduce their risk for chronic disease and eliminate risk factors that contribute to chronic disease. Research shows the earlier physical activity is established with kids, the larger the impact on curbing obesity. WIC is just one step in the comprehensive plan to influence physical activity and health eating among children. Children will also be exposed to IMIL and LANA through childcare, and also be influenced to be physically active and eat well after starting Kindergarten through SHIP at School strategies!

Madelia Moves Towards A More Walkable Community!

Since its inception this past Fall, Madelia Active Living Coalition has moving full speed towards a more walkable/bikeable community. The committee, which includes a broad community membership, is looking at several ways to improve pedestrian travel throughout the city of Madelia. Here are some highlights of their progress:

-          Partnering with community members and the local school district to develop a SRTS program which includes development of a community-led walking school bus program as well as completing a needs assessment to ensure adequate number of crossing guards, painted crosswalks and safety mechanisms, such as removing on-street parking on Main Street next to the school.

-          After completing their walkability assessment, the coalition learned there has been no sidewalk construction in the community in over 80 years, resulting in unsafe conditions for pedestrians. As a result, the group has identified 3 different routes through the community they plan to create a “sharrow” or shared roadway to encourage more safe pedestrian travel. In addition, the group will work with the city to ensure adequate street light to improve safety.

-          The assessment also identified a lack of bike parking and the group plans to improve bike parking as well as bike education in partnership with the school district, law enforcement, hospital and Coughlan publishing company during National Bike to School Day in May.

-          Partner with the county to develop a 5-10 year trails plan connecting the community with the county trail system.

-          Partner with Chamber of Commerce to develop a path across the park to ensure community members have more direct access to community assets (such as the pool).

Downs Food Group Employees Moving More and Eating Healthier!

 

Downs Food Group/Tony Downs Foods (DFG), a large poultry processing plant located in Watonwan County who employs a large minority workforce, has been busy making huge strides towards creating a healthier worksite for hundreds of employees. Downs Food Group is not new to encouraging healthy lifestyles with their employees. Over the past several years, health education has been provided each month to employees as well as ensuring employees have a tobacco free environment by implementing a tobacco-free grounds policy. SHIP funding allowed the worksite to implement more comprehensive, evidence-based strategies to improve employee health and wellbeing. These strategies include establishing wellness committees in each processing plant who oversee and provide suggestions to improving employee wellness. DFG has also recently adopted a comprehensive wellness policy which includes healthy vending, healthy catering and breastfeeding support for employees, tobacco-free grounds policies and cessation support and encouragement of community partnerships to improve physical activity opportunities for employees as well as encouragement of walking and biking to and from work.

To help implement this policy, DFG partnered with Anytime Fitness to reduce gym membership rates for employees. Additionally, DFG also partnered with a personal trainer to provide a fitness challenge. DFG also partnered with their local vendor to ensure 50% of the foods provided in the vending machines were healthier choices.

Moving forward, DFG is exploring the availability of offering stretching programs to reduce repetitive motion injuries; planning more wellness activities including more family oriented events and exploring ways to improve access to healthy foods through gardening and mobile farmers markets.

Congrats to DFG for helping to make Watonwan County a healthier place to live and work!

Food Policy Council Learns About Safe Food Handling and Licensing

 

 

The South Central Food Policy Council (FPC) met January 22, 2013 in Jackson.  Jan Kelly, Southern Area Food Inspection Supervisor from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture addressed the topics of licensing, license types, and safe food handling practices. The information was requested as the continues to work towards their goals of promoting local growers and increasing access to local healthy foods.  The Q and A opportunity was especially valuable to members as they address policy needed to support the local foods movement.

The five-county food policy council was created in April 2012 to assess, learn and improve the local food environment.  At this meeting ten priority food issues were identified and monthly meetings have been held to learn more and address each issue.

·         Promote local growers

·         Hunger and lack of access to healthy food

·         Food preparation – fast, fresh from scratch

·         Compost education

·         Healthy food at corner stores

·         Identification of community kitchens and processors

·         Schools

·         Local government incentives for young farmers in nontraditional farming

·         Education and marketing

·         New USDA regulations for schools

After learning more about these issues, the FPC plans to  create and offer policy to local decision-makers that will ensure commitments to advancing local, healthy food.

For more information:

www.mda.state.mn.us

Jan.L.Kelly@state.mn.us

linda@ruraladvantage.org

Partnership Supports Playground Activity Plan

 

Windom Area Schools is partnering with their school’s Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) on a playground improvement project.  The partnership began when the PTO approached the Wellness Committee about collaborating to improve student physical activity opportunities.  Both groups easily agreed that working together to develop activity stations on the playground and to improve the sports equipment would be a perfect partnership.  The Wellness Committee is interested in making sure that all children have the opportunity to be physically active during recess, while the PTO has funds available to financially support the change.

 

The PTO has offered money to help support painting the activity stations, so a plan is being devised to best utilize the space available.  That project will begin in the spring or summer of 2013, once the snow has melted and the weather cooperates for painting.  In addition to the playground painting, the PTO has offered to purchase sports equipment.  The elementary Physical Education Teacher is working to compile a list of equipment to support active recess.  A cart was also purchased to store the sports equipment, and an eager do-it-yourself PTO Dad is building another cart by hand to save money.

 

This is a great example of the collaboration that can develop from two organizations working together with similar goals.  Congratulations Windom Area Schools, we look forward to seeing the results of the Winfair Elementary School playground project!

Local Gardener Works with Employers to Provide On-site Farmer's Market!

Bill Brandt, owner and operator of Brandt Gardens & Greenhouse outside of Lakefield, MN  has sold his fresh produce at area Farmers Markets for many years. Bill has always been frustrated by the limitations of selling at the local Farmers Markets, which include limited hours and days to sell. These limitations often did not allow most people the availability to visit the market due to work schedules. Bill recently partnered with CJFMW SHIP to pilot an innovative idea which includes bringing fresh produce to the people where they work by developing a mobile farmers market service targeting employers. 

For the past few months, Bill has been developing a plan to partner with area worksites to create a delivery schedule to bring his fresh produce to worksites. He has purchased a refrigerated trailer and plans to regularly visit employers who are interested in providing this benefit to their employees. As a result of his use of high tunnels, a mechanism to extend his growing season, employees will have access to fresh produce longer than the traditional Minnesota growing season. He hopes to begin offering lettuce, spinach and kale in April, and then will provide a variety of herbs, fruits and vegetables through the summer months and continue to produce tomatoes, kale, spinach and lettuce varieties into October and November.

In addition to employees, employers will also benefit from the worksite farmers market! Research shows higher consumption of fruits and vegetables helps reduce obesity, a major driver of higher health care costs. People who eat healthy foods reduce their risk for heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Bringing fresh, locally grown foods helps employees and their families lead healthier lives!

 

If you are interested in a mobile farmers market at your worksite, feel free to contact Bill here..